As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to these users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information.
Information handling systems may take the form of rack-mounted components occupying one of more slots of a computer rack. Components contained in a rack may include servers, switches, firewalls, network appliances, and other types of computer hardware. A rack may also include features and components for power management, cooling, cable management, and other related utility functions.
Racks are routinely shipped worldwide between rack manufacturers, data centers, and similar destinations. Because of the variability of rack contents, racks may vary significantly in weight, footprint, height, and other physical characteristics. As a result, ensuring racks are properly secured for transportation can present a significant challenge to rack manufacturers, logistics companies, and others who may be required to prepare racks for transportation.
Failure to properly secure a rack may result in significant damage to the rack and its components. For example, improperly secured racks may be subject to impact events leading to bending or other damage to the rack frame or to excessive vibrations which may lead to seizing of casters used to move the rack. Such damage lead to a wide range of problems from delayed delivery of the rack to complete scrapping of the rack hardware and may leave rack manufacturers facing decreased customer satisfaction and increased costs due to repairing or replacing damaged rack equipment. Moreover, improperly secured racks present a safety hazard for personnel involved in packaging, transporting, and unpackaging.
Typically, shock pallets and crates are used for securing racks for transportation. Generally, these must be custom designed and built to meet the requirements of racks being shipped. As a result, shock pallets and crates may be expensive to design and build and vary in appearance and construction. Moreover, because the size and design of shock pallets or crates may vary from rack to rack, the methods of strapping or otherwise securing a shock pallet or crate for transportation may also vary from rack to rack, leading to improper and inconsistent strapping.
In light of the above, the present disclosure provides systems and methods for constraining a rack while eliminating strapping inconsistencies, decreasing unpackaging time, and significantly reducing packaging costs is desirable.